Porting an application or software code may include changing the original source code of the application to make the application compile, install, and/or run on specific systems or architectures, such as for example, a wide or large width vector architecture. For such applications, memory access algorithms to the original source code, when ported to target code, may be complex, inconsistent, or noncontiguous, for example, as vector widths increase (e.g., for operations such as three dimensional (3D) image rendering). Memory used for processes, for example, run on a ported application may be stored in noncontiguous or non-adjacent memory locations.
Mechanisms for improving memory access may include implementing gathering and scattering operations for generating local contiguous memory access for data from other non-local and/or noncontiguous memory locations. Gather operations may collect data from a set of noncontiguous or random memory locations in a storage device and combine the disparate data into a packed structure. Scatter operations may disperse elements in a packed structure to a set of noncontiguous or random memory locations.
If gather operations are interrupted, with some architectures, using ported code, the state of the machine may not be saved, requiring a repeat of the entire gather operation rather than a restart where the gather operation was interrupted.
A need exists for implementing a more efficient mechanism for collecting or gathering elements from memory.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the drawings have not necessarily been drawn accurately or to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity or several physical components included in one functional block or element. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the drawings to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. Moreover, some of the blocks depicted in the drawings may be combined into a single function.